Book Review: “Taken Into Custody” by Dr. Stephen Baskerville

One can go to the following link to see a two minute YouTube promo of the 2007 now-classic study of the family court system:

The following are excerpts and my comments from each section of the book:

I. Introduction
It’s stated that 34% of all kids and 68% of black kids grow up in fatherless homes. That was from a 2002 study and the current figures are 41% and 72% respectively.
II. Chapter One
A great comparison between today’s family court and the plight of the protagonist Joseph K. in Kafka’s “The Trial”.
III. Chapter Two
A parallel between family court and the East German Stasi, their infamous secret police (dramatically portrayed in the Oscar-winning “The Lives of Others”). Having lived in Berlin in 1990 and met many “Ossis” I can confirm the parallel.
IV. Chapter Three
Contains the stunner, “Current child support guidelines are largely the creation of one man, who is also the founder and primary owner of the nation’s largest private collection company.”
V. Chapter Four
A survey of Australian judges found that “almost 90% believe domestic violence orders were used by applicants … as a tactic in family court proceedings to deprive their partners of access to their children.”
VI. Chapter Five
The Soviet Union implemented the world’s first no-fault divorce system using identical terminology regarding the family as feminist writers today.
VII. Chapter Six
Words from ML King to inspire men and less well-connected women in family court: “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.”